Glasgow-based shipping company Norbulk Shipping UK Ltd was sentenced to pay a criminal penalty of USD 750,000 by the United States Department of Justice for committing environmental crimes.
Namely, the UK company which operates the M/V Murcia Carrier , pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an accurate oil record book in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and providing false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard concerning the vessel’s garbage record book.
As stipulated by the sentence, the company was placed on three years of probation by the Honorable Joseph H. Rodriguez, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday.
On April 27, 2014, crew members on board the M/V Murcia Carrier dumped overboard several barrels containing hydraulic oil, at the direction of the vessel’s Chief Mate Valerii Georgiev.
While Norbulk and Georgiev dispute the number of barrels dumped into the sea, the government believes that approximately 20 barrels were dumped overboard. The dumping occurred in international waters off the coast of Florida while the vessel was in transit from Costa Rica to New Jersey. The dumping was not recorded in either the ship’s oil record book or garbage record book as required.
In an effort to conceal the dumping, crewmembers presented a U.S. Coast Guard boarding team with a false oil record book and garbage record book when the vessel arrived in Gloucester, New Jersey.
On June 15, 2015, Georgiev also pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an accurate oil record book in violation of APPS. He is scheduled to be sentenced at a future date.
“Illegal discharges at sea damage our environment and endanger those who work in and enjoy our coastal waters,” said U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman for the District of New Jersey . “ As we have shown before, shipping companies that engage in these criminal practices and deliberately discharge oil – and then lie about it to the Coast Guard – will be prosecuted.”